Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 72, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 December 1918 — LETTERS FROM OUR READERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR READERS

Writes of Overland Trip to Florida. Roy Wickizer and family of Walker township, who recently left via automobile for Florida, have written back something of their trip, and Rue Z. McMur r ay of Kniman brought the letter to The Democrat for publication, that their friends may read of their trip: Helen, Florida. Dear Sister and Will write you a few lines. We are not to our journey’s end yet. 'Hlave resting up today, Sunday. We restng up today, Sunday. We surely had fine weather for our trip. It drizzled a little about an hour each day the second and third day, but has been nice since. We surely had some expediences, too. Some hills were so rough coming up the mountains that we could not get up speed to climb them without tearing things to pieces, so had to get out and push. Another man and woman came with us from Anderson until yesterday noon, then we had to take another road, so we had company all the way. We followed the Dixie higlrway all the way. They are just making a stone road of it over the mountains, so probably- the next time we travel it will be better. We Crossed, the Cumberland and Blue Ridge mountains. This is the place ,where they fought those great battles in the civil war. You sure see some sights: in them. The road we hame around Lookout mountain, was about half way up the mountain, and down below us could see the rbad we came over in the far distance and up above us was the monument where they fought the “battle above the clouds.” We could just see the monument, it was so high. Just think of it, we were half way between the city and the top of the mountain. They have a fine stone road up to the top and round where we crossed it was supposed to be .") miles above us. We passed Missionary Ridge, Taylor Ridge, Pike's Peak and all those places you probably remember reading of in war history. Have followed the road that Sherman marched when he went -through from Atlanta to the sea. One old planter said that the Kaiser hadn’t done anything to what Sherman did in that march, for he burned everything he came to. Well. I have seen some of the prettiest places I ever saw on our trip and some fine land and crops, and again there were some places I wouldn’t want to live. The principal crops through ,Kentucky and the northern part of Tennessee are tobacco and cotton; the southern part is cotton, corn and some peanuts. In Georgia there are larger fields of corn than in Tennessee. In the southern part there are lots of sweet potatoes. In Florida crops are about the same as in Georgia, with oranges and cumquats added. Blackberries and raspberries grow wild here and huckleberries on large bushes like in the cranberry marshes. I like the country quite well in through here. It is mostly the turpentine pine. Lots of groves tapped containing many acres. Day before yesterday we passed acre after acre of peach groves in the northern part oT~Georgia. Well this is all for this time. ROY WICKIZER AND FAMILY.